Jamal Murray scores 33 and Nuggets beat Mavs 118-109 as Cooper Flagg exits with sprained ankle

DALLAS (AP) — Jamal Murray scored 33 points and the Denver Nuggets held on for a 118-109 victory over the Dallas Mavericks, who were without Cooper Flagg for the second half after the rookie No. 1 overall pick sprained his left ankle Wednesday night.

The Nuggets were comfortably in front when Flagg turned the ankle as he stumbled to the court when he was called for a foul while defending Peyton Watson with 6:01 remaining in the second quarter.

Flagg limped to the locker room, but returned and played the final 2:35 before the break. He didn't come out for the second half before the announcement that he was done for the night. The 19-year-old former Duke standout scored six points in 15 minutes.

Aaron Gordon had 22 points and Watson added 18 for Denver.

Naji Marshall scored 24 points and Brandon Williams had 20 for Dallas, which shot a season-worst 14.7% from 3-point range (5 of 34).

Dallas had trimmed a 23-point deficit to five early in the fourth quarter on a 3-pointer from rookie Ryan Nembhard when former Maverick Tim Hardaway answered with a 3 to start a 13-2 run that put Denver in front 101-85. Murray capped the run with a 3.

The Mavericks got back within six in the final 1:12 before Murray hit a jumper just above the free-throw line and Gordon hit two free throws.

The Mavericks ruled out Daniel Gafford in the second half with a right ankle sprain that has bothered the starting center most of the season.

The Dallas frontcourt was already missing 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively II. Davis is expected to miss about six weeks with ligament damage in his left hand. Lively is out for the season following foot surgery.

Nuggets: Washington visits Saturday to start a three-game homestand.

Mavericks: The first of consecutive home games against Utah is Thursday.

AP NBA: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NBA

Denver Nuggets guard Peyton Watson (8) avoids the defense of Dallas Mavericks forward P.J. Washington (25) while preparing to take a shot during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson, left, and Denver Nuggets guard Bruce Brown scramble on a free throw by the Nuggets during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, right, goes up for a basket against Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray drives to the basket against the Dallas Mavericks during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

CAIRO (AP) — At least four Palestinians, including two boys and a woman pregnant with twins, were killed Sunday by an Israeli airstrike in the war-torn Gaza Strip, hospital authorities said.

The strike hit a house in Nuseirat, an urban refugee camp in central Gaza, killing a couple in their 30s and their 10-year son, according to the nearby Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.

The fourth fatality, a 15-year-old neighbor, was taken to the Awda hospital in Nuseirat. The boy's young brother was wounded in the strike, the hospital said.

“We were sleeping and got up to the strike of a missile. The strike was strong,” said Mahmoud al-Muhtaseb, a neighbor. “There was no prior warning.”

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

The deaths were the latest fatalities among Palestinians in the coastal enclave since an October ceasefire deal attempted to halt a more than 2-year war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

While the heaviest fighting has subsided, the ceasefire has still seen almost daily Israeli fire. Israeli forces have carried out repeated airstrikes and frequently fire on Palestinians near military-held zones, killing more than 650 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials.

Israel says it has responded to violations of the ceasefire or targeted wanted militants. But about half of those killed have been women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

They were among more than 72,200 Palestinians killed in the war which was triggered when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The militant attack killed over 1,200 people and took over 250 others hostage.

The health ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government, maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. But it does not give a breakdown of civilians and militants.

Militants have carried out shooting attacks on troops, and Israel says its strikes are in response to that and other violations. Four Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire.

A boy pushes a bicycle carrying jerrycans of water through a sandstorm in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)